If you are battling Post-Traumatic Stress or Traumatic Brain Injury and are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

How Wounded Warrior Homes Serves Our Veterans

America faces a crisis of over 76,000* homeless veterans in The United States. Though we are experiencing a national decrease in veteran homelessness, our battle is far from over.

The City and County of San Diego has not only one of the highest population of veterans, but also one of the highest number of homeless veterans. Wounded Warrior Homes aims to alleviate the growing stress of unsheltered vets in California by providing transitional housing to those with Post Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Service Members returning from combat or exercises experience stress in many forms. These stresses can later translate into PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress can result from discharging weapons, being shot at, from attacks or ambushes, seeing dead bodies, receiving incoming fire, or from knowing someone injured or killed in combat.

While on the front lines or in training, service members can experience many forms of physical disorientation. Traumatic Brain Injury can result from being hit in the head, the head striking an object, from the head being affected by a nearby blast, or even a major force to the body or spinal column.

Some veterans may find it difficult switching back to a “civilian” mindset when they return. After prolonged exposure to a war zone and the dangers of combat, adjusting to life at home can be a challenge. For service members experiencing PTS or TBI the battle isn’t completely over. The effects of stress and pain from combat can contribute to anxieties that can cause a range of effects on daily life. Some service members will turn to alcohol or drug abuse to cope with the effects of combat. With this resulted addiction it can cause their life to become imbalanced, create distance between themselves and family members, and ultimately lead to financial instability and eventual homelessness.

Wounded Warrior Homes was established to serve our heroes and provide them with a safe environment of support and supplemental services to aid them in transitioning back from the front lines to the homefront. Homeless veterans experiencing the effects of Post Traumatic Stress or Traumatic Brain Injury are handled with care and respect as they are taken from the streets and given the opportunity to flourish in a positive environment that not only contributes to the treatment of their injuries sustained, but also points them on a path to success in their new civilian life. Case workers help them make decisions about advancing their education, finding jobs, and even provide resources in financial planning so as to ensure a successful transition.

For over 5 years Wounded Warrior Homes has contributed to the success of ending homelessness in our veteran population by providing more than 11,000 nights of transitional housing. With your help we can increase this effort and bring an end to the troubles faced by our heroes.

*greendoors.org/facts/veteran-homelessness.php

“WWH gave me exactly what I needed: a home. Once in that home I was able to begin to find myself.After I leave WWH’s program this fall, I plan on pursuing my education at the local community college and continuing to fight against the effects of my PTSD and TBI.”
Travis

First Class Petty Officer, United States Navy

Watch Rob’s Story

“The day before… I was standing in homeless shelter, now I have a home. It’s important to have an organization like Wounded Warrior Homes because we are facing a big change in our life and your support truly saves lives.” Robert Caudill, United States Marine Corps Do your part and donate today to help assist WWH veterans in need of support.

Did You Know?

An Estimated 22 Veterans Commit Suicide Everyday in America

A growing body of research suggest that stable housing reduces stress in individuals. Reduction of risk, such as stress is an important aspect of suicide prevention.

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Over 60% of our Wounded Service Members Suffer from "Blast Effects" or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

According to a recent study by the Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry found that 20% of veterans with TBI reported suicidal thoughts.

Leading The Way

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Long Term Housing = Setup for Long Term Success

In order to save returning post-9/11 combat veterans’ lives, Wounded Warrior Homes provides affordable long term transitional housing, hands on resources and a defined path for each service member to transition from active-duty military service to independent living.

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LIFE: Our Development Program

Each WWH veteran is introduced to our transitional care and counseling program, LIFE – Living Independently For Ever, LIFE provides: Case Management, Individual Transition Plans, Life Counseling, Release Planning and up to 2 years in a Wounded Warrior Home.

What Our Veterans Say About Our Programs

“Before I reached out for help from Wounded Warriors Foundation I was homeless. I lived in my car in Vista, California for 30 days. This event was very self-reflective and humbling. I never begged for money but I did go to bed hungry some nights. I finally enrolled in the VA and was happily directed to the WWH. On June 15th, 2014 I moved in and my life drastically changed. I hope to one day get the opportunity to teach, train, motivate and encourage others by either becoming a pastor, mentor, school teacher or a guidance counselor.”
Steven

United States Marine Corps

“I was a veteran of 18 years. After an injury and years of taking opiates, coupled with PTS and TBI symptoms, it all ultimately led to my early departure from what I loved to do. With a quickly out of the military I was left jobless, homeless and without a car. After having a series of blackouts, no one was willing to take a risk with me and I ended up in the hospital with nowhere to go. I got temporary shelter at a local crisis house and while there, my case manager who referred me to Wounded Warrior Homes. A lot of stress has been taken out of my life and I honestly can’t say where I would be if it weren’t for Wounded Warrior Homes.”
Anonymous Veteran Served by WWH

“Wounded Warrior Homes has been there for me, and helped me out with hard times when my service was done for the country. My life was missing people in my life that care. I suffer from post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. It’s been tough getting my life together. I would like to say thank you to the Wounded Warrior Homes staff for all the assistants.”
Anonymous Veteran Served by WWH

Support Our Wounded Warrior Homes' Veterans

“One of the greatest needs for our returning service men and women is going to be transitional housing.

Our vets get to a point when they are finished with in-patient rehab, but they are not ready to live independently.